This invention relates to a sal olein as a constituent of the oily phase of cosmetic compositions.
Cosmetic compositions in emulsion form contain fats which are capable of providing the desired properties of application to the skin, i.e. essentially softening, lubricating, nourishing and protective properties to keep the skin supple and to protect it against atmospheric aggressions.
Fats of vegetable origin which have been proposed as suitable ingredients of the oily phases include sal fat which comes from stones of the fruit of the tree "Shorea robusta." According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,981, for example, sal fat provides above all the required qualities of suppleness of the skin coupled with a softening effect. However, from the point of view of physical properties, this fat has the disadvantage of negatively modifying the crystallization of the oily phase of the emulsions containing it, the effect of which is to shorten their stability as a function of time and, in addition, to give the emulsions a less attractive appearance by reducing their fineness and their lustre.
Processes for the solvent fractionation of sal fat into stearin and olein are already known. For example, published patent application WO 83.00 418 mentions the use of acetone or 2-nitropropane; Japanese patent application JP 81.127,694 related to the fractionation of sal fat with hexane in two stages. The olein obtained by these processes is solid or semi-solid at ambient temperature (approximately 20.degree. C). The problem addressed by the present invention was to provide a fat in the form of sal olein which, while having the cosmetic properties of sal fat, would not have any of its physical properties harmful to the quality of the emulsions.